Fanwood Grille Set to Open on Friday, July 7 in Downtown Fanwood

The Fanwood Grille (34 South Martine Ave., Fanwood) features homemade breakfast, including omelets, pancakes, waffles, and egg sandwiches to grab-and-go.

Credits: John Mooney

Inside the Fanwood Grille, 24 South Martine Ave., in downtown Fanwood. The new eatery replaces the vacant Fanwood Corner Store.

Credits: John Mooney

Fanwood Grille Burger on a Bavarian pretzel roll

Credits: John Mooney

Having catered Mayor Colleen Mahr's reorganization meeting in January and the Rockin' for Autism festival in April, the Fanwood Grille's lobster rolls have quickly gained a loyal following.

Credits: John Mooney

Old fashioned, foot-long hot dogs with a snap are available at The Fanwood Grille.

Sriracha Fries

The former Fanwood Corner Store (in the middle of the block) at 34 South Martine Ave. in Fanwood.

Credits: John Mooney

Early stage of the renovation at The Fanwood Grille.

Credits: John Mooney

By SEAN CONKLIN

July 7, 2017 at 2:46 AM

FANWOOD, NJ – The old Fanwood Corner Store will experience a reincarnation of sorts when the long-awaited Fanwood Grille opens at 34 S. Martine Ave. in Fanwood opens on Friday, July 7.

The menu, which is now available online, features items from traditional breakfast favorites such as omelets and Belgian waffles to lunch dishes including hot dogs and hamburgers with tasty toppings and combinations.

The eatery in downtown Fanwood has undergone a retro facelift on the inside and out. The old fashioned luncheonette countertop has been updated, and new retro-look spinning seats have replaced the old ones. The interior redesign included an overhaul of the cooking facilities, an expansion of the restroom to make it handicap accessible, and the creation of a small meeting room.

“I always love sitting at lunch counters from the time I was a little boy and spinning around on the seats. I still do it,” said John Mooney, owner of Fanwood Grille, who has lived in town for two decades. “Every since moving here, I believed the Corner Store had such great potential if someone would invest in restoring it to its former glory. When the opportunity arose to do this, I wanted to bring it back.”

Mooney partnered with Paul Watterson of Nick's Pizza, who has moved four doors down to be the general manager of The Fanwood Grille.

Many items on the menu are named after some of the restaurant’s influencers, including:

The Robert Anthony: (Fanwood Grille Burger with Taylor Ham and a fried egg)

"We want this place to be a place for the whole community to gather and enjoy," says Watterson, who developed the menu. "There's nothing else like it around here, and our customers will get a good value for their money. It'll be an enjoyable experience for commuters who want coffee and breakfast in the morning or people who work locally and want to get a great lunch."

Among the more intriguing items is the Grille's legendary Lobster Roll made from Maine cold-water lobster and served on a grilled, butter New England-style split roll was a hit when it was introduced at the Fanwood Council Reorganization Meeting luncheon at The Chelsea earlier this year. The Grille will also offer authentic Israeli Falafel (fried spiced chick peas with hummus topped with authentic Israeli salad and Allon Shadmi’s own homemade Tahini sauce served on a pita). Falafel comes with fries, health salad and a pickle. Shadmi also has developed a zesty Shawarma Chicken Pita.

“It has taken us about a year to do the renovation, develop the menu and put all the pieces in place to make this a vibrant establishment in downtown Fanwood,” Mooney added. “The feedback we have gotten in advance from the community has been overwhelming. We are looking forward to becoming part of Fanwood's redevelopment.”

The Fanwood Grille will be open daily at 6:00 a.m. Customers can place their orders ahead of time by calling 908-322-9500 or by pre-ordering and paying online via the website www.fanwoodgrille.com so they can quickly grab their food and head home. For more information, visit The Fanwood Grille Facebook page.

Editor's Note: Fanwood Grille owner John Mooney is the publisher of TAPintoSPF.

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